Context
The Liberal Democrats are concerned about the identification of children with SEND and provision of necessary support. Parents in the constituency have reported delays in appointments with educational psychologists, affecting their ability to plan for their disabled children's education.
Question
What steps is his Department taking to improve (a) identification of and (b) provision of support to children with SEND? I thank the Minister for his answer. Multiple parents in my constituency have children entering summer holidays without knowing where they will be in September or whether needed support will be available due to delays in appointments with educational psychologists. While welcoming increased funding, the 2023 intake is too late for those needing immediate support now.
Answer from Will Quince
The SEND Green Paper aims to address these issues. Educational psychologists play a critical role in identifying needs and advising on appropriate support through their statutory role in the education, health and care plan process. Since 2020, we have increased the number of educational psychologists from 160 per annum to over 360, including over £10 million invested for training more than 200 additional educational psychologists starting September 2023.
Not addressed: The backlog in appointments and immediate funding gap were not directly addressed.
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